Finnish ferry operator Wasaline's ferry will test biogas as bunker fuel

Wasaline will trial liquefied biogas on one of its ferries from 13 October till Christmas to prepare the vessel for upcoming EU ETS regulations.

PHOTO: Wasaline's Ferry M/S Aurora Botnia. Wasaline

Wasaline plans to run its LNG-fuelled ferry M/S Aurora Botnia on biogas for its four scheduled trips every Friday between 13 October and Christmas this year. The ferry will operate on the Vaasa-Umeå route between Finland and Sweden as part of the company's "Green Fridays" pilot project.

Liquefied biogas, also known as liquefied biomethane (LBM) or bio-LNG, can function as a drop-in fuel in LNG, similar to the way biofuels have been blended with MGO or VLSFO in recent trials. This means that vessels capable of running on LNG will not need modifications to run on pure LBM or LBM-LNG blends.

Wasaline's "Green Fridays" project aims to prepare its ferry for the EU's emissions trading system (ETS) that is set to include shipping emissions from next year. The liquefied biogas for the trial will be supplied by Gasum.

Biogas produced at Gasum's Finland plant uses biodegradable waste from homes, shops and industries, as well as municipal sludge. While it contains no fossil components, it may emit some carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide, which are naturally present in waste streams.

Gasum claims that LBM can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% on a well-to-wake basis compared to conventional fuels.

"Wasaline hopes to be able to further develop this concept in collaboration with its customers," the company says.

By Konica Bhatt

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